The Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup is about to be launched and released in mid to late January. At this point, leaks and rumors have revealed almost everything about Samsung's new flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. The Galaxy S21 lineup is set to debut in less than a month in the last week of January. There have been extensive leaks about the new devices, and now even Samsung has started revealing information about them. With the Samsung Galaxy S21 set to be on January the 12th, we know the majority of features and specs the new Samsung flagship phones will have.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 or the Exynos 2100 SoC, depending on the region. It will also feature a more sophisticated camera system and a flatter design overall. There is also the potential for Galaxy Note features to be added to the S21 lineup, as the Galaxy Note lineup remains questionable for 2021.
Samsung Galaxy S21 release date
The Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup is expected to launch on January 14th, and the expected release date is the 22nd or the 29th of January. The Samsung Exynos 2100 chipset is expected to launch on the 12th of January. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is expected to launch the Snapdragon 888 chipset around that time.
The rumors on whether the Galaxy S21 will be released on the 22nd or the 29th have not been confirmed yet.
Samsung Galaxy S21 price
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus prices have been all but revealed in a massive leak.
- Galaxy S21 price – The 128GB variant will start at €849 (around $1,050, £780, AU$1,370) with the 256GB starting at €899 (around $1,100, £825, AU$1,450).
- Galaxy S21 Plus price – The 128GB variant will start at €1,049 (around $1,300, £950, AU$1,700) with the 256GB costing €1,099 (around $1,350, £1,000, AU$1,800).
Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus specs
The specs for the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus have been almost fully revealed. One big surprise is the omission of WQHD+, which is now replaced by FHD+. This may disappoint some, but the extra resolution was more of a disadvantage due to power consumption. With 120Hz refresh rates here to stay, ditching the extra high resolution and pixels-per-inch is probably the way to go to maintain good battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus software
The Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus will ship with Android 11. Of course, as usual, they will have Samsung's custom skin, the One UI version 3.0. We will need to see whether there will be any performance improvements and tweaks on the software side, which, once again, is the biggest concern for Android devices.
Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus camera specs
The camera specs are identical to last year's lenses, so we will need to see what the new lenses, the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 ISP, and the Samsung camera app can do with them.
Both phones feature:
- A 12MP main camera with f1.8 aperture
- A 12MP ultrawide camera with f2.2 aperture
- A 64MP telephoto camera with f2.0 aperture
Interestingly enough, while the first two lenses are 48MP ones featuring pixel binning, the telephoto lens once again is 64MP one without pixel binning.
Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus Battery
Firstly, the 4,000 mAh battery on the Galaxy S21 is slightly low, so expect the Galaxy S21 Plus to make a difference 4,800 mAh one. Despite the 6.7″ screen, as a result of the FHD+ display.
| Specs | Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21+ |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Exynos 2100 (in Europe/International), Snapdragon 888 (in US, China and Korea) | |
| RAM | 8GB | |
| Operating System | Android 11 with One UI 3.1 | |
| Display | 6.2″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 421 ppi pixel density | 6.7″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 394 ppi pixel density |
| Rear Camera | 12MP primary (F/1.8, 79°, 26mm, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (F/2.2, 120° FOV, 13mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm) + 64MP telephoto (F/2.0, 76° FOV, 28mm, 1 / 1.76 “, 0.8 µm, OIS) with 3x hybrid optical zoom, auto-focus, PDAF | |
| Front Camera | 10MP (F/2.2, 80° FOV, 25mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm) | |
| Video Recording | 8K @ 30FPS, 4K @ 30/60FPS, 1080p @ 30/60/120FPS, 720p @ 960FPS | |
| Internal Storage | 128/256GB | |
| Connectivity | 5G, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, NFC | |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh with 25W Charging, Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging | 4,800 mAh with 25W Charging. Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging |
| Misc | IP68 rated, Wireless PowerShare, Samsung Knox, Dual SIM + e-SIM, Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner | |
| Colors | Gray, White, Pink, Purple | Silver, Black, Purple |
| Dimensions | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm | 161.4 x 75.6 x 7.8mm |
| Weight | 171 grams | 202 grams |
The excitement of the unexciting
Honestly, these phones look like a straight incremental improvement of the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus. Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S21 specs and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus specs are a bit lackluster. So what's special here?
Instead of gimmicky new features, we have devices that have stabilized their feature set. Meanwhile, with Android 12, we hope to see the removal of yearly updates, which means LTS support for a couple of years or more to maximize the OS stability and performance. With Android's competition unifying the iOS and macOS experience (thank you, Apple M1), expect 2021 to be a great year for smartphones. Just not in what we are used to.
2021: The year of cost-cutting
The FHD+, flat displays also meaning lower cost. The possible removal of chargers will also reduce the cost of the Galaxy flagships. With businesses harmed due to COVID19, it is expected to see adjustments that will lower the manufacturing costs. Let's see if those choices stick in the years to come. But let's wait for the Samsung Galaxy S21 release date to learn more.
Update: Galaxy S21 preorder reservations now open in the US
While you can't actually preorder any phones from the Galaxy S21 lineup yet, you can snag a spot in the preorder list. Also, you can get an evaluation if you plan to trade in a smartphone. Finally, Samsung is also offering a $50 credit toward accessories for all those who make reservations (and an extra $10 credit if you complete the process through the Shop Samsung app).